Repair unit for tire valve stems



Sept. 22, 1953 R. v. SNYDER 2,652,858

REPAIR UNIT FOR TIRE VALVE STEMS Filed May 21 1949 Patented Sept. 22,l 1953 UNITED STATE TENT *Of-FFI CE Application May 21, 1949, Serial No` 94,678

^ y.Objects of the invention are to provide an attachment for tire valve stems suitable for use as an extension of the valve stem and for use` as. a

repairfunitfof a damaged Valve stem; to provide an attachment for lrepairing the valve'stem withoutrequiringremoval of the tire from the wheel;

to providefformaintaining an air-tight sealbetween the attachment-and the val-ve stem; vto provideiorregistering andattaching the attachmention thevalve stem, especiallyv afvalve stem from: whichfa-damaged end vpart has been removed; and to provide simplicity of construction,

Aconvenience of application, and for effectiveness ofA operationi These and other objects and advantages ofthe linvention *wil-l bei; apparent from the; following description. I l

In-the accompanying drawingsiwhich forma part ofv this :specication and. in which like nu- ,merals are employed to designate like parts throughoutthesame,

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a pneumatic tire andr wheel rim with a valve stem=having an attachment applied thereto,. and constructed inaccordance with and embodying the invention,

.partsbeing` broken away,

i Fig. 2 isa view like Fig. 1 but showing the. tire valve stem in adamagedconditi-on andbefore the application. ofv the attachment, the .broken line across` the. valvestem indicating theY end, part vthereof to beremoved, and

Fig. 3 isa viewlike Fig.. 2but showing the attachment applied to the remainder of the valve stem `after `removal ofA theA damaged 4end part.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention Vvshown in the drawings, an attachment or repair unit 5 ispdisposed onfa metal valve stem Sindetachablesealing relation` therewith for the. in- K nation-and.deflation of apneumatic tire 'l ,includingv aninnertube 8,-While the same are de- -mountablypositioned on a metal wheel rim 9. AnyH suitable construction .and arrangement-oi the connection of the valve stem .to the inner tube. 8.and Ythe wheel rim may be employedand for the constructionshown, fthe. ValVestem'IG may have an externally threaded innerY ,end portion I0 extending through` suitableopenings in the wheel rim 9 and the inner tube .8, and may be secured to the tube 8 by. a basenange II positioned inside the tube and byV a Washer I2,and an internally threaded nut I3, The nut 'I3 `threadedly engages the valve stem and is turned down tightly against the washer I2 to provide an air-tight union between the inner tube and the valve stem. A second internally threaded nut I4 may be threaded on the. valve stem portionA Il) exteriorly of the wheel rim 9 seas tohold the valve stem in the slotted opening 'of the rim.

The tirevalve stem 6 may project laterally of the rim to the exterior side of` the same where it is subject to damage, especially at vthe outer end portion or part 2I5, as shown especially in Fig. 2, which damage may be objectionable denting or other deformation of the wall of the stem, or cracking, or even breakage of the same. The invention provides an attachment or repair unit 5 which makes feasible placing the damaged valve stem in workable conditionwithout removing the tire l from the'wheel rim 9 and while in service inthe field. The repair unit is suitable for long continued use and is compact enough to bereceived in close places on the wheel.

The repair unit 5 includes a hollow housing I6 of suitable metal such, for example, as brass. steel, or aluminum alloy for disposition on the remainder of the tire valve stem 6 from which the damaged end part 'I5 has been removed as by cutting along the kbroken line at I'I shown especially in Fig. 2. The housing I 6 may have a vstepped bore construction lI8 providing inv the bore an abutment or shoulder I 9 spaced from the inner end at 20 of the housing, and providing an apertured partition 2I spaced-apart from' Vthe abutment I9 for registering the valve stern 6 Ain the housing, the stepped bore at 'its cylindrical port-ion between the abutment yI9 and the apertured partition 2| being of a substantially uniform diameter to accommodate telescopicalgly the Valve stem in slidable close fitting relation to the wall of the housing IG at the cylindrical bore portion, as shown especially in Fig. 3, to avoid lateral looseness of the valve stem in the housing It. The wall of lthe housing between the end `at 29 and the abutment I 9v may have a hexagonal exterior shape as shown especially in Fig. 1, for manipulation and has desirably interior threads 22' for engagement with an exteriorly threaded hollow plug 23 having a hexagon head 24,v the plug 23 being positionable on the valve stem and insertable in the bore I8 from the end at 20 of the housing. A combined sealing and gripping member 25 of resilient rubber, natural or synthetic, or other rubber-like material, is disposed in the bore I8 and preferably elongated in the axial direction so as to provide extensive surface for engaging the wall of the housing and the valve stem in air-tight relation therewith under pressure exerted by the plug 23 on the member 25 for the assembled relationship of the valve stem and the repair unit.

The housing I6 at its outer end has desirably an outwardly projecting tubular end portion or cylindrical nipple 26 having preferably a substantially uniform outside diameter approximately equal to but not exceeding the diameter of the bore IS at said cylindrical Zone thereof as shown especially in Fig. 3, which nipple 25 may be interiorly and exteriorly threaded for engagement with a valve core 21 and closure cap (not shown) therefor of suitable construction for admitting inflating air to the valve stem. Thus, the repair unit provides a combined gripping and inflating structure which iniiates directly through the housing and the valve stem.

In the use of the repair unit comprising the plug 23 and the housing I6 including the member 25 and valve 21, the repair unit 5 is slipped plug first over the end of the remainder of the valve stem 5 from which the damaged end part I5 has been cut-off or otherwise suitably removed, until the valve stem is seated at its end against the partition 2l. The plug 23 is then turned sufcently to exert axial pressure upon the sealing and gripping member 25 so that the latter is compressed a substantial extent thereby radially expanding the rubber material of the same against the Wall of the housing and the valve stem, as shown especially in Fig. 3, to provide an air-tight seal and at the same time, to provide for elastically gripping and securely holding the repair unit 5 on the valve stem 5. inflating air from a suitable source of supply is then admitted through the valve 21 to the valve stem, whereby the tire 1 is inflated to the desired pressure, escape of air about the valve stem being prevented by the sealing action of the member 25 in its compressed condition.

Such repair of the valve stem is advantageously and conveniently effected without removal of the tire from the wheel rim and makes feasible extensive additional use of the tire assembly. The repair unit is compact enough to be received in close places on the wheel. When desired, the repair unit may be utilized as an extension of an undamaged valve stem. If the damage at the end at I5 of the valve stem is of minor character yet sufcient to prevent operation of the valve core 21, the core may be removed and the repair unit 5 may be applied without cutting off the damaged end part.

Variations may be `made without departing from the scope of the invention as it is defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A tire valve stem attachment for mounting telescopically on the end of a valve stem, while the latter is on a mounted tire, for extension or repair of the valve stem, said attachment cornprising a hollow housing having therein a cylindrical bore of a diameter to receive telescopically an end portion of a valve stem in slidable close tting relation to the housing, a counterbore forming a mouth at one end. Qi the hQilSing for surrounding said end portion of the valve stem, said housing having a threaded portion at said one end thereof, an internal annular abutment at the junction of said bore and said counterbore, and an apertured partition across the end of said cylindrical bore remote from said mouth for abutting the end of the valve stem, and said housing including a tubular nipple for receiving and engaging an inating valve core, said nipple projecting outwardly away from said partition in communication with said cylindrical bore through the aperture in said partition and said nipple at least at its outer end portion having a substantially uniform outside diameter approximately equal to but not exceeding the diameter of said cylindrical bore for facilitating telescopically and separably engaging the nipple with a closure cap, a tubular sealing body formed in its entirety of resilient rubber-like material and disposed in said counterbore for encircling the valve stem and having an end face seating against said abutment, a threaded hollow plug extending into said counterbore for encircling the valve stem and having a threaded engagement with said threaded portion of the housing, said plug presenting a shoulder seating against the other end face of said tubular sealing body so as to distort and press said body in air-tight relation against said abutment and said shoulder and the internal wall of said housing along said counterbore and also in air-tight elastically gripping relation against the valve stem, while maintaining the normal shape of the valve stem, when said plug is tightened with said attachment slidably mounted on the valve stem in telescopic relation thereto.

2. A tire valve stem attachment for mounting telescopically on the end of a valve stem, while the latter is on a mounted tire, for extension or repair of the valve stem, said attachment comprising an elongate hollow housing having therein a cylindrical bore of a diameter to receive an end portion of a valve stem in slidable close fitting relation to the housing, a counterbore forming a mouth at one end of the housing for surrounding said end portion of the valve stem, said housing having an internally threaded portion at said one end thereof and a polygonal outer surface extending about said counterbore, an internal annular abutment at the junction of said bore and said counterbore, and an apertured partition across the end of said cylindrical bore remote from said mouth for abutting the end of the valve stem, and said housing including an internally threaded tubular nipple for receiving and threadedly engaging an inflating valve core, said nipple projecting axially outward away from said partition in communication with said cylindrical bore through the aperture in said partition and said nipple having external threads and a substantially uniform outside diameter approximately equal to but not exceeding the diameter of said cylindrical bore for facilitating telescopic and threaded engagement of the nipple with an internally threaded closure cap, a tubular sealing body formed in its entirety of resilient rubber-like material and disposed in said counterbore for encircling the valve stem and having an end face seating against said abutment, an externally threaded tubular plug having a flange at its outer end and extending into said counterbore for encircling the valve stem and having threaded engagement with said internally threaded portion of the housing, said plug presenting at its inner end 5 6 a shoulder seating against the other end face References Cited in the iile of this patent of said tubular sealing loody so as to distort and UNITED STATES PATENTS press sald body 1n air-tight relation agalnst sald abutment and said shoulder and the internal Number ,Name Date Wall of said housing along said counterbore 5 744123 Spletschka' NOV' 17' 1903 and also in air-tight elastically gripping rela- 1025354 Wlmams M ay 7 1912 tion against the valve stem, While maintaining 1341828 Volkhausen June l 1920 the normal shape of the valve stem, when said 1,670,219 Smlth May 15 1928 K plug is tightened with said attachment slidably 1896'708 Jones Feb- 7 1933 mounted on the valve stem in telescopic relation 10 2015592 Crowley Sept' 24 1935 thema 2,385,156 Newell sept. 1s, 1945 V'l Hollyday, J1' Feb. 28, 

